Topic : Communication

Sub topic: 1. Introduction to Data Communication and Components of Data

Communication

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 Communication

1. Introduction to Data Communication and Components of Data Communication

Data : Data is information to be communicated.

Communication: the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking , writing or
using some other medium.
Data Communication: Data Communication is the exchange of data between two
devices through some form of transmission medium such as guided media(wired) or
unguided media (wire less).

➢ For data communication to occur, the communicating devices must be part of

communication system which is combination of hardware (physical equipment ) and
software (programs).

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 The effectiveness of a data communication system depends on the following features.

➢ Delivery
➢ Accuracy
➢ Timeliness
➢ Jitter

Delivery: The system must deliver the data to the correct destination.

Accuracy : The system must deliver the data accurately.

Timeliness : The system must deliver data in a timely manner.

Jitter: Jitter refers to the variation in the packet arrival time.

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Data Flow:
Based on the data flow direction Communication between two devices can be simplex,
half-duplex, or full-duplex

Simplex:
In simplex mode, the communication is uni-directional, as on a one-way street. Only one
of the two devices on a link can transmit; the other can only receive.
The simplex mode can use the entire capacity of the channel to send data in one direction

Example : Keyboards and traditional monitors are examples of simplex devices.

The keyboard can only introduce input; the monitor can only accept output.

Direction of data
Station A Station B

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Half-Duplex:
➢ In half-duplex mode, each station can both transmit and receive, but not at the same time.
When one device is sending, the other can only receive, and vice versa.
➢ In a half-duplex transmission, the entire capacity of a channel is taken over by whichever of
the two devices is transmitting at the time.
➢ The half-duplex mode is like a one-lane road with traffic allowed in both directions. When
cars are traveling in one direction, cars going the other way must wait.
Example : Walkie-talkies

Direction of data at time t1

Station A Station B
Direction of data at time t2

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Full-Duplex :
In full-duplex mode (duplex), both stations can transmit and receive
simultaneously.
The full-duplex mode is like a two way street with traffic flowing in both
directions at the same time.
Example: Telephone Network
When two people are communicating by a telephone line, both can talk and
listen at the same time.

Direction of data at all times

Station A Station B

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 Data Communication- Components
A data communications system has five components
➢ Message
➢ Sender
➢ Receiver
➢ Transmission Medium
➢ Protocol

Rule 1 Rule 1
Rule 2 Rule 2
.. Protocol …
Protocol
Rule n Rule n

Message
Sender Receiver
Transmission Medium

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 Data Communication- Components
A data communications system has five components
➢ Message
➢ Sender
➢ Receiver
➢ Transmission Medium
➢ Protocol

Rule 1 Rule 1
Rule 2 Rule 2
.. Protocol …
Protocol
Rule n Rule n

Message
Sender Receiver
Transmission Medium

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1. Message : The message is the information to be communicated.
The following are the various message types
text
Image
audio
video.

2. Sender : Sender is the device who sends the data message. Sender has an address (IP
address) which is used to uniquely identify the sender on the network.
example: computer, mobile phone handset

3. Receiver: Receiver is the device who receives the message. Receiver also has an address
(IP address) which is used to uniquely identify the receiver on the network.
Example : computer, mobile phone handset

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4. Transmission medium: The transmission medium is the physical path or logical path
by which a message travels from sender to receiver.

Ex: Wired : twisted –pair cable, coaxial cable and fiber –optic cable
Wireless: radio waves, infrared waves

5. Protocol: A protocol is a set of rules that govern data communication.

It represents an agreement between the communicating devices.
With out a protocol , two devices may be connected but not communicated.

Examples: IP-Internet protocol

FTP- File Transfer Protocol
HTTP- Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
SMTP- Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

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A protocol defines what is communicated, how it is communicated, and
when it is communicated.
The key elements of a protocol are syntax, semantics, and timing.

Syntax: The term syntax refers to the structure or format of the data, meaning the
order in which they are presented.

For example, a simple protocol might expect the

first 8 bits of data to be the address of the sender, the second 8 bits to be the address
of the receiver, and the rest of the stream to be the message itself.
Semantics: The word semantics refers to the meaning of each section of bits.

Timing: The term timing refers to two characteristics: when data should be sent
and how fast they can be sent.
For example, if a sender produces data at 100 Mbps
but the receiver can process data at only 1 Mbps, the transmission will overload the
receiver and some data will be lost.
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References:
1. Data Communications and Networking , Fourth Edition, Behrouz A.Forouzan

2. Computer Networks, Fifth Edition, Tanenbaum, Wetherall

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